Bionic Special – Episode 3: Ard-Ri & Peanut

Episode Details

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Summary

For the first time in the history of The Supervet, four brand new hour-long documentary specials go beyond the operating table to delve deeper into the science behind Noel’s cutting-edge procedures, revealing how he continually pushes the boundaries of veterinary medicine, with the help of special onscreen 3D graphics giving viewers a glimpse into the extraordinary ambition of Noel’s state of the art surgeries.

As with the regular Supervet episodes, we learn of the backstories of the families as Noel enters the newest frontier in medicine and pets go through operations, some of which have never been attempted in human or animal surgery before. We follow the stories of our featured pets throughout their ‘bionic’ journey; from the moment they are brought into the practice for treatment to their amazing physical transformations which bring relief and joy as owners are reunited with their beloved pets.

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick has saved many cats and dogs with his bionic solutions, but he still faces new challenges every day. In tonight’s episode he is faced with two difficult cases that push his skills to the limit.

Peanut

One year old black and white cat Peanut was born with deformed front legs, leaving him with infections and sores as he struggles to walk. Denise is desperate for him to be able to run free and hopes Noel will be able to fit him with two new bionic feet. Noel is the only vet in the world to offer animals prosthetic limbs with a PerFiTS implant designed such that the bone and skin can grow into the metal, which becomes part of the skeleton. If he succeeds with Peanut, it’s believed this will be the first ever animal in the world with such double front limb prostheses. But the treatment is not without risk, and recovery takes patience. When things don’t go as planned, Denise must face a difficult decision on behalf of her beloved friend…

Rachelle and John were devastated when their massive 76kg Irish Wolfhound, Ard-Ri, was diagnosed with bone cancer in his leg. Reluctant to amputate, they bring him to see Noel in the hope he can remove the primary tumour and replace it with a metal implant, an endoprosthesis. Noel is the only surgeon in the world offering this particular implant which attaches to multiple bones in the forearm and into which bone can grow so that it becomes a permanent part of the skeleton. In Ard-Ri’s case, this is the furthest Noel has pushed the design in terms of the size and invasiveness of the tumour. The surgery and application of the custom-made implant proves anything but simple…